


Water of the Earth

by Suus_Arido



Series: Ocean man, take me by the hand [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Interspecies Romance, Ireland, M/M, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 19:38:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suus_Arido/pseuds/Suus_Arido
Summary: Dean wasn’t impressed with the town. Despite it being summer the weather was cold, wet and grey. He was forced to play inside most of the time. Henry and Millie had given no explanation for their sudden move but seemed content to live out their years in the strange village across the sea...





	Water of the Earth

When Dean was a little kid, he loved to visit his grandparents. Henry and Millie Winchester used to be his favourite people in the world. But one-day things changed. They left. ‘They moved away honey,’ Mary had said. Dean had frowned, ‘but where did they go to?’ Mary gave John a long look, but Dean’s father was focused on his book. Mary turned around and smiled, ‘they moved to a beautiful place, very far away. But don’t worry. We are going to visit them this summer, so you won’t miss them!’

John finally looked up. His expression said that he did not agree with this idea at all. But Mary silenced him with a raised eyebrow. He huffed and returned to reading his book.

Dean never really understood why John didn’t want to see his parents. But he was happy nevertheless. That was until they boarded the plane. It was at that moment that his fear started. No air, no space to move, the pressure of going up in the air made his ears hurt. Crying and screaming seemed to have no effect, and people stared at Mary with angry expressions. John eventually snapped and gave Dean a stern warning.

The small boy nodded, tears still streaming down his face. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was sitting in his room. The sound of his little brother Sammy broke the trance with his crying. Mary took hold of him quickly. John had stared out of the window; he must’ve realized that this was going to be a long 8 hours.

Killróisín was a place Dean found to be quite strange. It was small, green and coastal. It smelled of fish near the coast and shit further inland. The people looked tired and out of place somehow. They all knew the Winchester were American. Dean wasn’t impressed with the town. Despite it being summer the weather was cold, wet and grey. He was forced to play inside most of the time. Henry and Millie had given no explanation for their sudden move but seemed content to live out their years in the strange village across the sea.

When Dean looked at maps and signs, he saw two languages. But one he understood and the other he did not. Sammy was too young to remember this first visit, but in that year Millie and Henry had still lived in a small cottage next to the sea.

Dean walked aimlessly around town. The local children paid him no attention. Probably because his mother had her wary eyes on him at all times. Sometimes he went to the water, he would sit at the beach for hours. Maybe if he was lucky he would catch a cold and they would have to go home sooner?

It was like the universe was mocking him because the next day the sky cleared up. And the rays of sunlight changed the town quite abruptly. Children laughed and played outside, they dared each other to jump off the bridge and into the river. Dean had never seen so many people outside. All enjoyed the sun.

Dean liked this more, mostly because he had a chance to make friends. The first boy that was willing to talk to him was, surprisingly named Deane. He had smiled at the boy once he’d revealed his name. ‘My name is Dean too!’

The boy had been taller, he frowned. ‘How old are ya?’ His accent was strange, it wasn’t like most of the others. It was even harder to understand. ‘I’m five.’ Deane pulled a face, ‘oh ok. You sound funny, where you from?’ And so Dean made his first friend, Deane was nice enough to introduce him to some of his "lads". Most of them were six, but one or two seven. They were all taller.

Dean didn’t mind. So the next few days, Dean learned how to act and play like an Irish boy. He’d stolen from a shop, put gum in someone’s hair and even spit on the face of a sleeping drunk. ‘If you want to be part of the group, that’s what it takes.’ Deane had said. His friends all grinned and laughed. Dean wondered why it was so amusing but didn’t question it.

They were his only friends after all. And Deane had a nice smile, he liked seeing him smile.

As the summer came to an end, Dean spent more and more time alone. His mother did not approve of Deane and his friends. And he wasn’t allowed to play with them anymore. So he sat at a secluded beach. At least no-one would see that he was lonely.

Still… it felt like he was being watched. Hadn’t some Deane’s friends said that there were ghosts around? Dean quickly stood up and left the beach that day, but the feeling of being watched remained.

It was the first of many strange dreams to follow. It was a dream about waves, blue eyes and a voice. A voice that was soft and kind, calling out to him from the deep. Once he woke up, he thought nothing of it.

The next morning, Dean returned to the lonely beach. He felt that something was off. And he found himself being greeted by a strange sight indeed. In the water there was a boy, and he seemed to be stuck. ‘Hey, are you okay?’ Dean yelled. The boy’s face immediately disappeared underwater, but soon floated up again. He must be stuck on something and if he didn’t get free soon, he would drown! Dean realized this quickly and got rid of his shoes and socks.

Despite it being July the water was freezing cold. The rocks sharp and mean under his feet. He quickly swam, he was not much good at it yet, but still he continued. When he finally reached the boy he faltered. Blue eyes looked at him, a stark contrast to his skinny pale skin. ‘Let me help you.’ He offered. But the boy shook his head, spoke a strange language and tried to get himself free again.

Dean felt his teeth clatter together. ‘You’ll get sick, do you speak English?’ Once again the boy reacted in his strange language, which must’ve been some sort of Irish. Dean finally reached out to touch him. The boy felt strangely hot like his body was being heated from the inside out. That was not what made Dean back off though, it was the blue glow surrounding the boy. Only now did Dean see the strange marking covering his skin.

It reminded him of the stick on tattoo’s his mom always put on him, only these seemed to have some sort of glow in the dark effect. The boy had fallen quiet once he’d been touched. He was studying his hands with a confused look. Finally, he looked up. He gave Dean a pleading look, and it was all that the young boy needed to jump back in action.

The strange feeling inside of him was not there anymore. It had felt warm, nice and even save. Like everything was going to be alright. Dean took a deep breath, slowly at first, then deeply. Finally, he allowed himself to be emerged by water. At first the salty water hurt his eyes, made him wanna go up again and rub them until the pain disappeared. But he felt stubborn.

He forced himself to pry them open again and looked around. The water was not very clear, hard to see through. But using his hands he figured the boy must’ve his legs stuck somewhere. So he dove and searched the bottom. They were in pretty shallow waters at least. Dean noticed something strange moving, but he figured it must’ve been the boy’s legs. He pulled at them, they felt strange on his skin. When they didn’t move he went up again to catch his breath.

The boy gave him a sad look but Dean ignored it. He just needed to dive to the bottom completely. And so he did, ignoring the force of the water around him, the pain in his eyes and the shivering cold. He noticed an array of big heavy stones and started moving a few most were too slippery to move. But he succeeded and finally found the problem. The boy was stuck in a net. Must’ve fallen from a boat and taken with the tide.

Dean pulled and ripped at it, but failed. He went up again, gasping this time. ‘You’re stuck right? I’m going to get you loose don’t worry.’

Dean went down again, found himself a sharp rock and went at it again. This time the net easily broke, and before he could even help the boy get free he was already moving out of his small prison. Once again Dean thought he saw a strange movement, a weird shimmer. But he needed air, so he didn’t care.

Once up the boy had moved deeper into the water. Dean felt himself shiver, they needed to get out. He swam closer but the boy moved away quickly. ‘Aren’t you cold?’ He asked. The boy moved his head sideways like he found Dean’s wording funny. Dean made a cold motion and finally, the mysterious boy seemed to understand. He moved rather quickly closer to Dean and pressed his warm body against him.

The shivering stopped, so Dean allowed it. ‘My name is Dean. Who are you?’ He asked once the boy pulled away. For a second he swore the strange blue glow was back. Dean once again pointed at himself and said his own name. The mysterious boy smiled and pointed at himself.

‘Castiel.’

It was the next day when Dean had to go home again. He’d caught a cold from going into the water, and Mary wasn’t pleased. Dean had insisted that he needed to save Cas. So Mary allowed it, knowing too well Dean had made no friend who was named Cas.

‘But he is real! I saved him.’ Dean had protested. John had made a crossword puzzle. ‘Well honey, where does he live? Did he just walk home, did he thank you?’ Mary asked. She checked her bag one last time. Her oldest son had fallen quiet. ‘He didn’t speak English, it was getting late and he refused to get out of the water so I figured he’d get out once he felt like it.’

This confirmed Mary her suspicions. ‘Well alright Dean, you did a good job for helping that little boy. I’m proud.’ Sam was crying again, so Dean fell quiet and prepared himself for a horrible plane ride.

But he found it difficult to not remember those blue eyes.

The next following two years went well for the Winchester family. Henry and Millie opened their Bed and Breakfast the Seadog Shelter. John had a new hobby, Dean liked hearing about it because it was one of the few things that made his father’s eyes glim with excitement. Mary liked it a lot less, ‘you’re making the boy scared with those stories John.’ His father shrugged, ‘better scared than sorry right?’ He said.

Dean agreed.

Every summer they went to Killróisín. And every time Dean went back to the same old beach, in the hopes of seeing Cas. And every time the language barrier became less. Cas was dry-witted, usually confused and very shy and fearful, not much older than Dean he figured. One thing was weird though, Cas never went out of the water.

‘You won’t die, it’s cold, why don’t you get out?’ Dean was sitting at the beach, Cas was sitting near a big rock, his body still emerged in water. Cas had given him a long look, his body didn’t glow a lot anymore and Dean had learned not to mention it to his mother. She already thought he’d made Cas up.

Cas spoke, once again in that strange language. Dean might not understand, but he recognized the emotions and the meaning anyway. Cas was scared.

‘You have nothing to be scared off. I won’t hurt you.’ Cas gave him a long look before finally nodding. He slowly lifted himself out of the water, more and more. But Dean was met with the strangest sight. A long, wet form. Not legs. It almost looked like…

‘Are you a mermaid?’

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first short story in this little universe. Be aware that the rating will go up as the characters grow up.


End file.
